Casting Out Bad Luck 1904

This woodblock print, "Casting Out Bad Luck," was made by Helen Hyde, who was born in 1868 and died in 1919. I'm just imagining Helen Hyde in her studio, the smell of inks filling the air as she carefully carves the woodblock, each line a deliberate act of translation from observation to art. The print depicts a figure in the midst of some kind of ritual, maybe scattering seeds or salt. The gentle peach tones of the kimono contrast with the darker box, suggesting a play between softness and structure. Look how the bamboo pattern on the kimono seems to sway with the figure’s movement. I wonder what Hyde was thinking, her own mix of cultural exchange and personal expression? The act of printmaking itself is a kind of removal, an indirect process where the artist never directly touches the paper. Helen Hyde would have been aware of her position as an American artist engaging with Japanese traditions, navigating the complexities of cultural representation and artistic interpretation. She is in conversation with artists past and present!